This post is Part Six of a series counting down the 10 most important Las Vegas Raiders players under contract for next season (not including Derek Carr). Guys set to be free agents (Josh Jacobs, Jarrett Stidham, etc.) aren’t included here. Click here for Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five of this series.
No. 5: Hunter Renfrow
When the Raiders signed Renfrow to a 2-year, $32 million extension prior to last season, they weren’t expecting this:
67 fewer catches.
678 fewer yards.
7 fewer touchdowns.
2 more fumbles.
7 fewer games.
Not exactly the direction you’d expect from a fourth-year receiver in an offense loaded with weapons, right? And yes, concussions, a rib injury and a hamstring injury didn’t help — but even when he was on the field, things didn’t ever seem to click. To be fair: the same could be said for nearly everyone in Josh McDaniels’ offense this year, but Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller seemed more out of sync than others.
2022 Stats: 36 catches (50 targets), 330 yards, 2 TD, 10 games played
2023 Outlook
Can a team with as many needs as the Raiders really afford to pay Renfrow, Waller and Davante Adams this much money? That’s one of the biggest questions general manager Dave Ziegler will have to answer this off-season, and truthfully it’s a fair one. When you had a really good quarterback in Derek Carr and playoff expectations, it makes a lot of sense — but when you cut ties with your quarterback and take not just a step but a dozen steps backward, the equation changes.
If a team came calling on Renfrow, would the Raiders listen? The chance to open up cap space in exchange for a draft pick they could use on a cost-controlled rookie would surely be tempting, but I think it all depends on what the plan is.
If the plan is to win, then offense is the name of the game right now — and Renfrow is one of the league’s best slot guys. If the Raiders need four yards on third down, there’s almost nobody in the league I’d rather have running the middle of the field than Renfrow — whose hands are excellent and whose shiftiness always seems to net the offense a few extra yards.
In fact, when Josh McDaniels arrived, I assumed that Renfrow would be among the greatest beneficiaries. Think about the slot guys who have made careers out of thriving under McDaniels — guys like Wes Walker and Julian Edelman, who led the Patriots in receiving a combined nine times in 12 seasons between 2008-2019.
Like other guys on this list, when we look ahead to 2023 the question is: was 2022 a fluke or a sign? Was it a lost season due to injuries and problems that will be fixed systematically? Or was it a sign that Renfrow’s fit has diminished?
